NEW DELHI, July 13 — The Election Commission (EC) has mobilized its electoral machinery across the country in preparation for a possible nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists, following the Supreme Court’s green light to continue the same exercise in Bihar.
The move marks a significant step toward a nationwide clean-up of electoral rolls, aimed at identifying and removing ineligible entries, including suspected illegal foreign migrants.
An EC official said the final decision on whether to proceed with the pan-India rollout will be taken after July 28, when the apex court will resume hearing the case related to Bihar’s SIR. “We are working as per constitutional mandate, and any further action will be aligned with the Supreme Court’s directions,” the official noted.
Last week, the Supreme Court referred to the SIR as a “constitutional mandate,” allowing the poll panel to proceed with the process in Bihar despite legal challenges. Several opposition parties had petitioned the court, arguing that the drive could disenfranchise legitimate voters.
Amid growing anticipation, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in several states have started uploading voters’ lists published during the last round of SIRs. Delhi’s CEO website now carries the 2008 list, while Uttarakhand has made public the 2006 roll. These historic voter rolls will serve as the official cut-off for revision, mirroring the approach in Bihar, where the EC is using the 2003 electoral list as the baseline.
Most Indian states had last undertaken intensive voter list revisions between 2002 and 2004. The EC has now signaled its intent to revisit these records in an effort to ensure electoral integrity.
“The special revision is not just a bureaucratic update—it’s a crucial exercise in protecting the sanctity of the vote,” said another senior official involved in the preparations.
The Commission has also said that the eventual goal of the SIR is to identify and remove foreign illegal migrants from the rolls by verifying voters’ place of birth.
While Bihar is scheduled to go to polls later this year, five other states—Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal—will hold assembly elections in 2026. The move assumes added importance in light of recent crackdowns in multiple states on undocumented migrants, particularly those from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
As the EC gears up for the possible nationwide rollout, the political debate over voter eligibility and electoral transparency is likely to intensify further.
Read more: SC Tells EC to Consider Aadhaar, Voter ID in Bihar Roll Revision
